Numbers : Per 36 Minutes

0.78 PPP

Temple had 334 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 0.78 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 393rd in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.90 PPP over 405 possessions, ranked 277th.

#17

Since mea culpas have been elevated to high praise these days, I need to come correct and admit error. I was wrong about Garrett Temple.

When Temple and Shelvin Mack were called up from the D-League to replace Shaun Livingston and Earl Barron on the day after Christmas, the Wizards sat with a 3-23 record. Temple made an immediate impact in his second game with 13 points, six assists and six rebounds in a home win over Orlando. He soon started six straight games due to an injury to Bradley Beal, but his production tapered off. Temple was mostly buried at end of bench upon Beal’s return, but, as luck would have it (for Temple, at least), Beal got injured again, which provided Temple with another opportunity to start on January 30 in Philadelphia.

My initial skepticism of Temple’s game had merit. He put up a paltry field goal percentage and struggled finishing at the rim. He was signed to be the second- or third-string point guard and now here he was starting at the 2. Washington had a shooting guard that could not shoot. Just great. The past few years had seen the Wizards make several D-League call-ups, and I’d grown weary of the annual plug-and-play gambit.

Randy Wittman’s decision to start Temple over Jordan Crawford during Beal’s time out with injury triggered the abrupt downfall of Crawford. Sure, the team started to play better with Temple in the lineup, perhaps primarily due to other players (John Wall, ahem), but Temple’s stats were still terrible. It was more coincidence than causation, and doubters of Crawford used this new-found team success to justify Jordan’s hasty departure. That left a bitter taste in my mouth and I unfairly took this out on Temple.

Instead of giving Temple the benefit of doubt in being a versatile guy who played hard, I scrutinized his mistakes and downplayed his contributions. It was not his fault that Wizards coaching staff was playing him out of position, yet he never backed down from any challenge, especially on defense. In fact, the ability to defend played a major role in Wittman’s preference of Temple over Crawford.

After Crawford was traded, it took yet another Beal injury in early-March for Temple to get an additional shot at regular minutes, and he took advantage. His shooting percentages noticeably improved, and he was no longer a glaring liability on offense. Temple’s high basketball I.Q. also meant that he was usually in the right position. Quite impressive for a player who had only been with the team a few short months.

A few developments permanently flipped my opinion of the former LSU standout. Real chemistry started to develop between him and Wall. Temple was also able to defend an opposing team’s best guard, allowing Wall some vital rest on defense, and sometimes filled in as another ball handler, which alleviated some pressure off Wall in the half court.

Perhaps the main accolade was that Temple became an on-the-court warrior, as Wittman relied on him for heavy minutes with several of his guards hit with the injury bug down the stretch. Over a 10-game span in March, Temple averaged 36 minutes per game. His Wizards teammates were dropping like flies, but Temple answered the call serviceably and his production actually increased. When the Wizards won five of six in mid-March, Temple scored in double-figures in all but one of those games. Temple ended up starting in Washington’s final 22 contests.

Temple’s future with the Wizards remains unclear. He likely earned himself a legitimate shot at competing for roster spot in training camp, but I doubt the team will offer him a fully guaranteed financial commitment. Depending on how other moves play out, the Wizards could easily go in another direction.

Regardless, Temple made me eat crow in 2013, and other Wizards can feel free to make me do the same in the future.

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